foods

Article
Influence of Different Hot Air Drying Temperatures
on Drying Kinetics, Shrinkage, and Colour of
Persimmon Slices
Wijitha Senadeera 1, *, Giuseppina Adiletta 2, * , Begüm Önal 2 , Marisa Di Matteo 2 and
Paola Russo 3
1 School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, Springfield
Campus, University of Southern Queensland, 37 Sinnathamby Boulevard, Springfield Central,
QLD 4300, Australia
2 Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II132, 84084 Fisciano, SA,
Italy; bonal@unisa.it (B.Ö.); mdimatteo@unisa.it (M.D.M.)
3 Department Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana,
18, 00184 Rome, Italy; Paola.Russo@uniroma1.it
* Correspondence: wijitha.senadeera@usq.edu.au (W.S); gadiletta@unisa.it (G.A.); Tel.: +61-7-3470-4086 (W.S.);
+39-0-8996-4334 (G.A.)




Received: 23 December 2019; Accepted: 14 January 2020; Published: 18 January 2020


Abstract: Drying characteristics of persimmon, cv. “Rojo Brillante”, slabs were experimentally
determined in a hot air convective drier at drying temperatures of 45, 50, 55, 60, and 65 ◦ C at a fixed air
velocity of 2.3 m/s. It was observed that the drying temperature affected the drying time, shrinkage,
and colour. Four empirical mathematical models namely, Enderson and Pabis, Page, Logarithmic,
and Two term, were evaluated in order to deeply understand the drying process (moisture ratio).
The Page model described the best representation of the experimental drying data at all investigated
temperatures (45, 50, 55, 60, 65 ◦ C). According to the evaluation of the shrinkage models, the Quadratic
model provided the best representation of the volumetric shrinkage of persimmons as a function of
moisture content. Overall, higher drying temperature (65 ◦ C) improved the colour retention of dried
persimmon slabs.

Keywords: persimmon; “Rojo Brillante”; hot air drying; shrinkage; empirical mathematical
model; colour

1. Introduction
The persimmon (Diospyros kaki) belongs to the family Ebenaceae and it is commonly cultivated in
warm regions of the world including China, Korea, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Turkey, Italy, and Israel [1,2].
“Rojo Brillante” is one of the main cultivars produced in the Mediterranean area, including Italy.
Among the other and known persimmon cultivars, the “Rojo Brillante” is the most popular cultivar
due to its high productivity and commercial quality [3,4]. This persimmon cultivar is seedless and
ripens faster than the other cultivars. In addition, persimmon fruits contain large amounts of bioactive
compounds, such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids, and condensed tannins with strong antioxidant activity,
which also offer health promoting effects (i.e., anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective,
and anti-hypercholesterolemic) [1,5–7]. Furthermore, persimmon fruits have a high content of sugars,
as glucose and fructose, and moisture. For this reason, after the harvesting process, the fruits decay
rapidly and they become very sensitive to microbial spoilage during storage.
These undesirable adverse changes may result in low quality and short shelf life. Due to these
reasons, feasible processing and preservation technologies have been proposed to extend the shelf

Foods 2020, 9, 101; doi:10.3390/foods9010101 www.mdpi.com/journal/foods

Foods 2020, 9, 101 2 of 12

life of fresh fruits, reduce economic and environmental losses, valorise the traditional products, and
increase their commercial value [3,6,8,9].
The persimmons are consumed in different forms, for example, fresh, frozen, canned, as well as
their dehydrated form, and they can be stored for up to 6 month in a controlled or modified atmosphere.
Dried persimmons have become an interesting product for consumers and global markets because
they can be a valuable ingredient in different kinds of preparations including breakfast cereals, muesli,
and snacks [1,3,10].
Drying is widely applied to fresh products as a preservation technique. The dehydration process
prolongs the fruits and vegetables’ stability by reducing the water content and microbial growth and
minimizing physicochemical changes. In addition, this process provides a better preservation of
high-value compounds of foodstuffs; prolongs shelf life; reduces packaging, storage, and transportation
costs due to the decreased food product weight and volume; and allows for the possibility of persimmon
consumption during all seasons [1,6,9,11]. Whole persimmons have been used traditionally for the
dehydration process to obtain a product with good sensory properties, however, drying of whole
persimmon fruits is difficult. Using smaller persimmon fruits could be an alternative application to
reduce drying time [3,12]. Fruits and vegetables are usually dehydrated in sun light, a solar dryer,
or in artificial dryers [13]. Another food drying technique is conventional hot air drying, which is
well-known as a cheap method, offers hygiene, uniformity, simplicity, ease of handling, affordability,
and it provides better dried food materials [6,9,14–16].
Mathematical modelling in fruit drying is crucial to estimate optimal drying process conditions
for prolonging the shelf life of food materials. Mathematical models of the drying process are applied
for designing and improving industrial drying systems to obtain high quality dried products [1,17].
Shrinkage of fruits and vegetables is a widely known physical phenomenon during the drying
process and it affects the overall quality of dried foodstuffs. This negative phenomenon leads to volume
reduction, changes in shape and porosity, hardness increase, and surface cracking. It may also modify
the microstructure and change the heat and mass transfer and rehydration capabilities of dried fruits.
From this viewpoint, the shrinkage phenomenon has to be avoided since this undesirable physical
change may cause a negative impression on consumers [9,17,18].
The main objective of this research was to investigate the effects of air drying conditions
(temperature and time) on the drying behaviour and colour of persimmon, cv. “Rojo Brillante”, slabs.
Therefore, we decided to use a wide range of drying temperatures (from 45 to 65 ◦ C) to deeply evaluate
the drying process variables and achieve high quality dried persimmon snacks. Furthermore, to
describe the observed changes in water content during the drying tests, the moisture ratios were fitted
using empirical models found in the literature. The drying models used in this research can be very
important tools to estimate the persimmon slabs’ behaviour under different drying conditions and to
optimize the drying process.
A good knowledge of the shrinkage phenomenon and the impact of process parameters on the
mechanism of shrinkage are necessary to predict the shrinkage behaviour of fruits and vegetables.
According to our knowledge, no scientific studies have been published related to the effect of the drying
process on shrinkage of persimmon fruits nor the evaluation of shrinkage, including the mathematical
models. To take into account the shrinkage effect on the quality of persimmon slabs during the drying
process, volume changes were also measured and some empirical models of shrinkage were tested to
describe the shrinkage behaviour during drying.
We believe that this research will contribute to the literature by providing a better understanding
of the shrinkage behaviour of persimmon slices, how to control and optimise the drying process
conditions, and how to obtain nutritious dried persimmon slabs for the dried fruit market.
Foods 2020, 9, 101 3 of 12

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Raw Materials

Persimmon fruits, cv. “Rojo Brillante”, were harvested from ten trees at the ripening stage at a
commercial orchard located in Francolise (Caserta-Italy). Fresh whole fruits were washed, peeled,
and sliced (Figure 1). Slices of a cylindrical shape (diameter of 30 mm and thickness of 6 mm) were
prepared from the internal part of the fruits, without seeds, using a suitable steel mould. Before the
experiments, all slabs were collected from different peeled persimmons. Sample randomization was
performed to avoid undesirable differences in the structure of persimmons that could negatively affect
the analysis.

Figure 1. (a) Whole persimmon fruit, cv. “Rojo Brillante”; (b) Internal view of the persimmon fruit, cv.
“Rojo Brillante”.

2.2. Drying Experiments

Drying experiments of persimmon slabs were conducted in a convective dryer (FCV/E6L3, Zanussi,
Pordenone, Italy) operating at a constant temperature. The dryer is comprised of a stainless-steel
chamber (86 cm × 86 cm × 76 cm) equipped with an electric heater to heat the air and a centrifugal fan
to supply the air flow and re-circulate the air.
The persimmon slabs were put on a plastic grid of mesh of size 0.01 m × 0.01 m in the dryer, and
dried at 45, 50, 55, 60, and 65 ◦ C at a centrifugal fixed air velocity of 2.3 m/s until the mass was constant
(about 0.04 kg water/kg db). For drying kinetics, at suitable time intervals, some slices were taken out
of the oven to calculate weight loss.
Weight loss was measured by means of an external digital electronic balance (mod. E42, Gibertini,
Milano, Italy). The procedure was repeated until the mass of the sample no longer changed. For each
temperature, drying tests were repeated in three sets independently. Each set had three replicates, and
the averages with standard deviations are shown.
The results were reported as moisture ratio (Mt /M0 ) vs. time (min), where Mt was the moisture
content (kg water/kg db) at a certain drying time and M0 (kg water/kg db) was its initial value [9].

2.3. Modelling of Drying Kinetics

Simplified drying models have been applied for describing the drying kinetics of several food
products. Four empirical mathematical models widely used for fruits were here utilized (Table 1) to
find the most appropriate model to describe the drying behaviour.
Foods 2020, 9, 101 4 of 12

Table 1. Mathematical models applied to drying curves.

Model Name Equation Reference

Mt Henderson and Pabis [19] (1961); Adiletta
Henderson and Pabis M0 = a exp(−kt)
et al. [8] 2016
Mt
Page M0 = exp(−ktn ) Doymaz [1] (2012); Adiletta et al. [8] 2016
Mt
Logarithmic M0 = a exp(−kt) + c Yagcioglu et al. [20] (1999)

Mt Henderson [21] (1974); Adiletta et al. [22]

Two term M0 = a1 exp(−k1 t) + a2 exp(−k2 t)
2018

The empirical constants for the drying models were obtained from normalized experimental
drying data (moisture ratio Mt /M0 vs. time) at each investigated temperature. Nonlinear least square
regression analysis was applied for the determination of the selected models’ parameters with the
Levenberge–Marquardt procedure. For each model, the goodness of fit was assessed based upon the
values of the following statistical parameters: the coefficient of determination (R2 ), the root mean
square error (RMSE), and the reduced χ-square (χ2 ) [1,8,20,22].
These parameters were calculated as follows:

1 XN  2 1/2
RMSE = MR,pre,i − MR,exp,i and (1)
N i=1

PN  2
i=1 MR,pre,i − MR,exp,i
χ2 = , (2)
N−z
where MR,exp,i and MR,pre,i are experimental and predicted dimensionless moisture ratios, respectively,
N is the number of observations, and z is the number of constants. The χ2 is the mean square of the
deviations between the experimental and calculated values for the models. The lower the value of
χ2 , the better the goodness of the fit. The RMSE explains the deviation between the predicted and
experimental values and it is necessary to reach zero.
The R2 was used as the primary comparison criteria for choosing the best model to consider the
variation in the drying curves of dried fruits [1]. Its value should be higher and close to one. In addition
to R2 , χ2 and RMSE parameters were used to determine the quality of the fit [1,8,22]. The higher the
value of R2 , the lower the values of χ2 and RMSE, which were chosen as the criteria for goodness of
fit [1,8,19].

2.4. Colour Evaluation

Surface colour was determined by two readings on the two different symmetrical faces of the
fresh and dried persimmon slices using a Minolta Chroma Meter II Reflectance CR-300 colorimeter
(Minolta, Osaka, Japan). The instrument was calibrated with an international standard white calibration
plate CR-A43.
The repetitions of colour measurements were carried out in three sets independently for each
temperature. Each set had six slices, and the averages of results were expressed with standard deviation.
CIE L*a*b* colour parameters (L*, a*, and b*) were measured for all samples and the average
values were calculated. The lightness parameter (L*) represents the lightness/darkness of the
persimmon samples, a* and b* parameters indicate the redness/greenness and yellowness/blueness of
samples, respectively.
The Hue angle (H◦ ) is how we perceive the colour of an object: green, orange, red, or blue; it was
computed using the following equation [23]:

b∗
H = tan−1 (3)
a∗
Foods 2020, 9, 101 5 of 12

The total colour difference (∆E) was calculated according to Equation (4) [9]:
q
2
∆E = (∆L∗ )2 + (∆a∗ )2 + (∆b∗ )2 (4)

The fresh persimmon slabs were used as a reference material, and higher values of ∆E indicated
more colour change from the reference persimmons.

2.5. Shrinkage Evaluation and Empirical Models

The initial volume of each persimmon (V 0 ) was determined by using a digital Vernier caliper
(0.01 mm accuracy), and it was calculated from diameter and thickness measurements for each slab
(about 20 slices). The thickness and diameter dimensions were measured on the same slabs at specific
times during drying tests, and the volume (Vt ) was calculated. Furthermore, the diameter and the
thickness were measured at different sample positions to minimize the measurement error during
drying, and their average values were estimated. The evaluation of shrinkage during drying was
studied in terms of the mean volume shrinkage (Vt /V 0 ) reported as a function of the relative moisture
ratio (Mt /M0 ) [24].
An empirical correlation between shrinkage and moisture content can be used to model shrinkage
during the drying process. Many empirical models are available in the literature and they are
widely applied for vegetables and fruits [8,25,26]. The mathematical models taken for identifying
the most suitable model to describe the shrinkage behaviour are reported in Table 2. Nonlinear
least square regression analysis was used to evaluate the parameters of the selected model with the
Levenberge–Marquardt procedure.

Table 2. Shrinkage models.

Model Name Equation References

Vt
M 
t
Linear V0 = a1 + a2 M Simal et al. [26]
Vt
 M  0  M 2
Quadratic V0 = a1 + a2 M0t + a3 M0t Mayor and Sereno [25]
Vt
 M 
t
Exponential V0 = a1 exp k M0 Mayor and Sereno [25]

2.6. Statistical Analysis

The means of experimental results and their standard deviations were calculated from three
replicates. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Tukey’s test (p < 0.05) was conducted to
compare the means in the case of colour.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Drying Kinetics: Experiments and Empirical Models

The average moisture content of fresh persimmon fruits was 5.23 ± 0.19 g water/g db (83.94% wb).
To evaluate the impact of different drying temperatures (45–65 ◦ C) on persimmon drying kinetics, the
curves of moisture ratio Mt /M0 vs. drying time (min) are presented in Figure 2a–e. It was clear that the
moisture content decreased with increased drying time. As shown in Figure 2, the changes in moisture
content at all investigated temperatures were more evident in the first drying stage; while at the final
stage these changes became very small.
Foods 2020, 9, 101 6 of 12

Figure 2. Experimental (symbols) and predicted (lines) drying curves in terms of moisture ratio (Mt /M0 )
of persimmon samples at (a) 45 ◦ C, (b) 50 ◦ C, (c) 55 ◦ C, (d) 60 ◦ C, and (e) 65 ◦ C

The drying times of all samples needed to achieve an equilibrium moisture content (<0.05 kg
water/kg db) were 540, 465, 420, 360, and 320 min at 45, 50, 55, 60, and 65 ◦ C, respectively. From the
investigated temperature range, as expected, these results showed that the drying time is the longest
at 45 ◦ C and shortest at 65 ◦ C. In order to predict the water content as a function of drying time, the
empirical equations, presented in Table 1, were fitted and statistical parameters and estimated model
parameters are shown in Tables 3 and 4, respectively.
Foods 2020, 9, 101 7 of 12

Table 3. Statistical parameters (coefficient of determination R2 , the root mean square error RMSE, the
reduced χ-square χ2 ) of the drying models.

Model Temperatures (◦ C)
Parameters
Name 45◦ 50◦ 55◦ 60◦ 65◦
R2 9.9 × 10−1 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100
Henderson
RMSE 3.3 × 10−2 1.5 × 10−2 1.6 × 10−2 1.4 × 10−2 1.8 × 10−2
and Pabis
χ2 1.1 × 10−3 3.0 × 10−4 3.0 × 10−4 2.0 × 10−4 3.0 × 10−4
R2 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100
Page RMSE 2.3 × 10−2 9.3 × 10−3 1.2 × 10−2 6.9 × 10−3 7.1 × 10−3
χ2 4.0 × 10−4 1.0 × 10−4 1.0 × 10−4 1.0 × 10−4 1.0 × 10−4
R2 9.9 × 10−1 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100
Logarithmic RMSE 2.8 × 10−2 1.1 × 10−2 1.4 × 10−2 1.5 × 10−2 1.9 × 10−2
χ2 8.0 × 10−4 2.0 × 10−4 2.0 × 10−4 2.0 × 10−4 4.0 × 10−4
R2 9.9 × 10−1 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100
Two term RMSE 3.8 × 10−2 1.8 × 10−2 2.0 × 10−2 1.8 × 10−2 2.3 × 10−2
χ2 1.5 × 10−3 4.0 × 10−4 4.0 × 10−4 3.0 × 10−4 5.0 × 10−4

Table 4. Model parameters (k, k1 and k2 , the drying constants; a, a1 , a2 , c, n, the drying coefficients) of
the drying models.

Model Temperatures (◦ C)
Parameters
Name 45◦ 50◦ 55◦ 60◦ 65◦
Henderson a 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100
and Pabis k 9.2 × 10−3 9.7 × 10−3 1.4× 10−2 1.6 × 10−2 1.7 × 10−2
k 3.2 × 10−3 6.0 × 10−3 8.0 × 10−3 8.8 × 10−3 6.7 × 10−2
Page
n 1.2 × 100 1.1 × 100 1.1 × 100 1.1 × 100 1.2 × 100
a 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100
Logarithmic k 8.4 × 10−3 9.2 × 10−3 1.3 × 10−2 1.6 × 10−2 1.6 × 10−2
c −3.3 × 10−2 −2.0 × 10−2 −1.5 × 10−2 −6.1 × 10−3 −8.1 × 10−3
a1 5.2 × 10−1 5.1 × 10−1 5.1 × 10−1 5.1 × 10−1 5.1 × 10−1
k1 9.2 × 10−3 9.7 × 10−3 1.4 × 10−2 1.6 × 10−2 1.7 × 10−2
Two term
a2 5.0 × 10−1 5.0 × 10−1 5.0 × 10−1 4.9 × 10−1 4.9 × 10−1
k2 9.2 × 10−3 9.7 × 10−3 1.4 × 10−2 1.6 × 10−2 1.7 × 10−2

The coefficient of determination (R2 ), the reduced χ-square (χ2 ), and the root mean square error
(RMSE) were used to describe the quality of the fit (Table 3). A good fitting among the experimental
and theoretical data was connected to the highest R2 value and the lowest χ2 and RMSE values.
All R2 values of Enderson and Pabis, Page, Logarithmic, and Two term models were higher than
0.99, while χ2 and RMSE ranged from 0.0001 to 0.0015 and 0.0069 to 0.0382, respectively.
The models’ parameters are presented in Table 4. For Enderson and Pabis, Page, and Logarithmic
models, the drying constant k had a value of 0.003 to 0.016 and it increased with an increase in drying
air temperature. Furthermore, for the Two term model, the drying constants (k1 and k2 ) had a value of
0.009 to 0.017 and these values increased with an increase in drying temperature.
From the models’ results, the Page model was found to be the most appropriate model to describe
the persimmon drying curves at all investigated temperatures, with the highest R2 values and the lowest
χ2 and RMSE values. On the other hand, the Two term model had the worst fitting for persimmon
slabs dried in the range 45–65 ◦ C.
The experimental data and the results of the best-fitting model (Page model) are shown in
Figure 2a–e. The Page model was able to predict with sufficient accuracy the evolution of moisture
content for persimmon slabs at each drying temperature.
Foods 2020, 9, 101 8 of 12

Doymaz [1] stated the suitability of the Page model to fit the experimental drying data of
persimmon slices in comparison with other empirical models at 50, 60, and 70 ◦ C.

3.2. Colour Evaluation

Colour is well known as one of the most important quality parameters of fresh and dried fruits. It
is widely utilized as a tool for foodstuff standardization, indicator of biological and/or physicochemical
traits, quality properties, as well as consumer satisfaction. Unsuitable changes in colour of fruits and
vegetables affect their quality and marketing value [27]. Colour is also a fundamental quality parameter
in food choice and it influences the perception of the other sensorial attributes by consumers [3].
The effect of air drying temperatures on colour characteristics of fresh and dried persimmon samples
are presented in Table 5 in which L*, a*, and b* value, Hue angle (H◦ ), and total colour difference
(∆E) are presented. According to L* values, although the fresh persimmons had the highest L* values
(71.70 ± 0.52), no significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between fresh and all dried persimmon
slabs. This means that the drying process, particularly, air drying temperature, did not influence the
lightness of the dried samples. There was not a remarkable reduction in brightness of persimmon
fruits after the drying process.

Table 5. Colour parameters (lightness/darkness L*; redness/greenness a*; yellowness/blueness b*; Hue
angle H◦ ; total colour difference ∆E) for fresh and dried persimmon samples.

Drying
Sample Time L* a* b* H◦ ∆E
(min)
fresh persimmon 71.7 ± 0.5 a −1.6 ± 1.3 a 46.4 ± 1.1 a 92.0 ± 1.6 c -
persimmon dried at 45 ◦ C 540 67.8 ± 1.8 a 5.9 ± 1.5 d 53.6 ± 2.0 b 83.6 ± 0.0 a 18.9 ± 1.1 c
persimmon dried at 50 ◦ C 465 68.7 ± 2.4 a 5.6 ± 0.3 c,d 53.3 ± 1.1 b 84.0 ± 0.4 a 13.7 ± 0.7 b
persimmon dried at 55 ◦ C 420 67.4 ± 2.5 a 2.6 ± 1.1 b 57.7 ± 2.4 b 87.4 ± 1.1 a,b 12.8 ± 1.0 b
persimmon dried at 60 ◦ C 360 70.5 ± 1.9 a 3.0 ± 0.9 b,c 56.2 ± 1.1 b 87.0 ± 1.0 a,b 12.1 ± 0.7 b
persimmon dried at 65 ◦ C 320 70.3 ± 0.8 a 1.9 ± 0.8 b 55.7 ± 4.0 88.0 ± 1.6 b 9.2 ± 0.4 a
Different superscript letters (a,b,c) in the same column show statistical differences between samples (p < 0.05).

As shown in Table 5, the a* values of samples were affected by the drying conditions (temperature
and time). Concerning the dehydrated samples, a* values increased after the drying process. The highest
a* values were found in persimmon slabs dried at 45 ◦ C (5.93 ± 1.51) and 50 ◦ C (5.61 ± 0.31). These
colour changes of redness (a* value) may be associated to browning reactions due to long drying times
at low temperatures. There were no statistical differences (p < 0.05) in b* values observed among all
dried persimmon slices.
The derived indices from colour Hunter values (L*, a*, and b*), namely, Hue angle and total
colour differences gave more information concerning the colour degradation of fresh and dried
persimmons [28]. The best quality of dried persimmons may be correlated to low values of overall
colour change (∆E), which has an important role on the consumers’ acceptability.
Furthermore, H◦ values of dried samples were different from fresh persimmon fruit (p < 0.05); the
persimmon samples dried at 65 ◦ C showed higher Hue angle values in comparison with the other
dried samples.
The drying process had a significant effect on the total colour differences of dried samples, and the
lowest value of ∆E was found in the samples dried at 65 ◦ C, indicating that the highest temperature
(65 ◦ C) could preserve the typical colour of the fresh persimmon fruits and contributed to reduced
browning reactions during the drying process.
These results may be explained by the long exposure time to the drying process at low temperature
◦
(45 C) and the enzymatic browning reaction that occurred during the persimmon drying process,
since the temperature and the time of the drying are crucial factors leading to colour deterioration.
Foods 2020, 9, 101 9 of 12

3.3. Shrinkage and Empirical Models

The shrinkage phenomenon is known as one of the most important physical changes that negatively
impacts the quality of the dried foodstuffs [9,25]. The effects of different air drying temperatures on the
shrinkage of persimmon slabs’ were evaluated and the changes in volume ratio (Vt /V 0 ) as a function of
the moisture ratio (Mt /M0 ) are presented in Figure 3a–e.

Figure 3. Experimental data (symbols) and prediction (curves) of volume shrinkage in terms of volume
ratio (Vt /V 0 ) of persimmon samples during drying at (a) 45 ◦ C, (b) 50 ◦ C, (c) 55 ◦ C, (d) 60 ◦ C, and
(e) 65 ◦ C.

A reduction of persimmon volume proportional to the moisture content decrease during the
drying process at all evaluated temperatures was found. The lower the shrinkage, the higher the
drying temperatures (60–65 ◦ C).
For the Linear, Quadratic, and Exponential models, which correlated shrinkage and moisture
content, the statistical coefficients (R2 and RMSE) and the estimated model parameters are reported in
Tables 6 and 7, respectively.
Foods 2020, 9, 101 10 of 12

Table 6. Statistical coefficients (R2 , RMSE) of the shrinkage models.

Model Temperatures
Parameters
Name 45 50 55 60 65
R2 1.0 ×100 9.9 × 10−1 9.7 × 10−1 1.0 ×100 9.9 × 10−1
Linear
RMSE 2.0 × 10−2 3.0 × 10−2 5.2 × 10−2 1.3 × 10−2 2.9 × 10−2
R2 1.0 × 100 9.9 × 10−1 9.9 × 10−1 1.0 × 100 1.0 × 100
Quadratic
RMSE 1.0 × 10−2 2.4 × 10−2 2.7 × 10−2 1.3 × 10−2 1.9 × 10−2
R2 9.7 × 10−1 9.8 × 10−1 9.0 × 10−1 9.8 × 10−1 9.5 × 10−1
Exponential
RMSE 4.9 × 10−2 4.4 × 10−2 1.0 × 10−1 5.7 × 10−2 6.7 × 10−2

Table 7. Model parameters (k, the shrinkage constant; a1 , a2 , a3 , the shrinkage coefficients) of the
shrinkage models.

Model Temperatures
Parameters
Name 45 50 55 60 65
a1 1.6 × 10−1 1.8 × 10−1 2.3 × 10−1 1.6 × 10−1 2.6 × 10−1
Linear
a2 8.1 × 10−1 7.9 × 10−1 8.2 × 10−1 8.3 × 10−1 7.9 × 10−1
a1 1.6 × 10−1 1.9 × 10−1 2.1 × 10−1 1.7 × 10−1 2.5 × 10−1
Quadratic a2 6.5 × 10−1 6.0 × 10−1 1.2 × 100 7.7 × 10−1 1.0 × 100
a3 1.8 × 10−1 2.1 × 10−1 −4.5 × 10−1 6.1 × 10−2 −2.4 × 10−1
a1 2.1 × 10−1 2.1 × 10−1 2.7 × 10−1 2.1 × 10−1 2.9 × 10−1
Exponential
k 1.6 × 100 1.6 × 100 1.3 × 100 1.6 × 100 1.3 × 100

The R2 values of the Linear, Quadratic, and Exponential models were all above 0.90. The estimations
of statistical parameters demonstrated that R2 and RMSE values ranged from 0.8992 to 0.99898, and
0.0103 to 0.1002, respectively (Table 6). The nonlinear model (Quadratic model) predicted the changes
in the shrinkage of the persimmon slices significantly better than did the Linear and Exponential
models for all drying conditions. Under the most ideal condition, the shrinkage is expressed as a linear
function of the moisture ratio where a1 and a2 are coefficient and constant, respectively, of the model.
On the contrary, in this study, the Linear model was found to be an inappropriate model for describing
the persimmon shrinkage vs. moisture ratio at all investigated temperatures. Also, the volume ratio
Vt /V 0 and moisture ratio Mt /M0 had a poor exponential relationship for all hot air dried persimmon
slabs, with the lowest value of R2 (0.899) at 55 ◦ C and the lowest value of the slope of this model, k, at
65 ◦ C (Table 7).
The Quadratic model was the best model to describe the volumetric shrinkage of all the persimmon
samples as a function of moisture content at all the drying temperatures investigated, with the highest
R2 values and the lowest RMSE values.
These finding, in other words, the Quadratic model results for volumetric shrinkage with moisture
ratio, were similar to those reported by Adiletta et al. [8] and Seerangurayar et al. [18] for convective
air dried grapes and solar dried dates, respectively. Furthermore, Mayor and Sereno [25] found that
the Quadratic model had a good fit to experimental data of volumetric shrinkage vs. moisture ratio for
apples, carrots, and potato slabs during convective drying.
In order to verify the proposed model, experimental and predicted shrinkage data are plotted in
Figure 3 as a function of moisture ratio. It is clear that in the Quadratic model the predicted data had a
good agreement (R2 > 0.994) with the experimental data.

4. Conclusions
The effect of the drying process conditions on drying characteristics and on the colour of
persimmon, cv. “Rojo Brillante”, slabs was investigated in this study. As expected, the drying process
Foods 2020, 9, 101 11 of 12

was shorter at higher drying temperatures. The experimental drying data were fitted to four empirical
mathematical models, and the Page model described the best representation of the experimental
drying values at all investigated temperatures (45, 50, 55, 60, and 65 ◦ C). Furthermore, concerning the
shrinkage phenomenon, the Quadratic model demonstrated an acceptable fit to the experimental data
for all dried persimmon samples. Persimmon samples dried at 65 ◦ C showed better colour preservation
in terms of the higher Hue angle (H◦ ) value and less total colour change (∆E). The findings of this
research may be important by providing information for understanding the drying behaviour and the
drying process conditions of persimmon slabs from an industrial perspective.

Author Contributions: M.D.M., G.A., and P.R. conceived and designed the experiments; G.A. and B.Ö. performed
the experiments; G.A., B.Ö., M.D.M., W.S., and P.R. analysed the data; resources, M.D.M.; writing—original draft
preparation, G.A. and B.Ö.; writing—review and editing, G.A., W.S., P.R., and M.D.M. All authors have read and
agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding: This research received no external funding.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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